4.

Man and society

After giving birth to a child in the first six months the mother is paid 80 percent of her salary.
Then in the next one and half years she is paid the child care allowance, which is a fix amount
of money. For the last one year of the mother’s leave she gets a fix amount of money and it is
called childcare benefit. Those who aren’t employed before giving birth to a child get child
care benefit for three years.
When you are on sick leave you get sick pay, which is 80 percent of your salary. If you are
unemployed, you get unemployment benefit. If you have one or more children you get family
allowance. The retirement age is sixty-two in Hungary.
Welfare state is a system by which the government provides money, free medical care for
people who are unemployed, too old to work or unable to work because of disabilities.
Although our company has a trade union, I don’t know its purpose or function because I am
not its member. I know there are some trade unions in Hungary. For example Trade Union of
Pedagogues and the Trade Union of Railway Workers. They all struggle for higher pay and
better terms of employment and working conditions, and they are often on strike.
In Hungary the whole system of health care is undergoing a change at present. The medical
services are substantially financed by the state budget. In fact you pay a monthly contribution
from your salary but you do not pay for the actual treatment. Everyone can choose their GP
freely and go to the one whom they trust most. Health care is thus free and although
prescription charges have gone up a lot recently they are still cheaper than in most other
European countries.
To tell you the truth I don’t know much about the British system. I have read that that they
have the so-called National Health Service, which means that if they go to a doctor, have a
check-up in hospital or undergo an operation they do not pay anything. Naturally there are
private surgeries and hospitals where you have to pay.

(GP= General Practitioner)